Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2022: Joey Chestnut Eats 63 Hot Dogs for 15th Title

Death, taxes and Joey Chestnut consuming an outrageous number of hot dogs on July 4 en route to a victory in Brooklyn, New York.

Chestnut won the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island for the 15th time. At 63 dogs, he finished 20 ahead of runner-up Geoffrey Esper. Nick Wehry was third with 40 hot dogs.

With Monday's triumph, Chestnut can claim to be "better than Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros."

Esper and James Webb were doing their best to keep pace with Chestnut early. By the five-minute halfway mark, though, he had a 14-dog lead on the closest competitor. His dogs-per-minute ratio was holding steady around eight.

The reigning champion slowed down in the second half, which removed any hope of another record-setting showing.

If Michael Jordan had the "Flu Game," then this year was Chestnut's "Crutches Contest." He had to battle through a ruptured tendon in the Coney Island heat.

On the women's side, Miki Sudo made an emphatic return to the competition. She didn't compete in 2021 because she was pregnant, and Michelle Lesco claimed the Pink Mustard Belt.

The 36-year-old remains as sharp as ever, though, consuming 40 hot dogs in a dominant victory. Lesco was a distant second at 26 hot dogs.

Considering Sudo hit 48.5 hot dogs in 2020, she might feel underwhelmed by her 2022 output. That will give her motivation when the road to the 2023 Hot Dog Eating Contest begins.